Editing Services

Hiring an editor is an investment in both your intellectual project and your professional advancement.

Many people dedicate extensive time, skills, and emotions to exploring ideas and trying to pose and answer intellectual questions in writing and want to be published. Ideas are meaningful and so is the time and work put into committing them to the page. Getting published can also impact earning an income or landing or keeping a job. Taken together, getting published is about fulfilling our intellectual vision and purpose as well as meeting professional obligations and goals. But many struggle to express themselves as writers or to complete projects. And at times, this struggle can have negative consequences for careers. The stakes are high and the publishing industry is just that, an industry. So too is academia.

As an editor, I can help. And as a researcher and writer who has had my work reviewed and published, I can relate. Unlike a friend or colleague, who may read primarily for interesting content or intellectual merit, I read for all of this and engage in the series of tasks necessary for improving the quality of writing and having the document as publishable as possible.

I draw from my extensive experience in research, writing, editing, reading, teaching, and curriculum development to help authors complete their writing projects and stay focused on deadlines and long-term writing and career goals. And I am really good at what I do. Some people may write well or read and understand what was written. Many may have interesting ideas and be great verbal interlocutors. But they cannot always explain to others how to strengthen their writing, the mechanics, logic, and steps of getting from one stage to another, or how to situate work in intellectual conversations or the market. Nor can they always help someone organize and complete an entire book. I can.

Along with my skills, experience, and knowledge of the publishing industry, I bring to my editing a key principle: I don’t edit and tell, i.e., I am discreet. While an editor is not a friend, being privy to sensitive information (doubts you may have about your research and writing or how you feel about your boss, your colleagues, your department chair, someone whose work you are writing about, or a co-author) is often part of the editing process and being able to trust your editor is important for your writing and the completion of your project.

In this spirit, I do not post the names of my authors on my website. I have positive reviews from my authors and, with their permission, I may provide their information for references.

Specialties:

I specialize in working with (but not limited to) academic and non-fiction authors. Along with working with authors published by trade presses, I have collaborated with scholars working on their first book for tenure and those writing their second or third books post-tenure, with scholars submitting articles for peer-reviewed journals, scholars writing case studies, and graduate students working on dissertations. My academic clients represent and engage various disciplines, including Sociology, Political Science, Philosophy, History, Africana Studies, Anthropology, Urban Studies, Science and Technology, Education, Ethnic Studies, Religion, Women’s and Gender Studies, Asian American Studies, and English. The home institutions of these authors include Columbia University, University of California Berkeley, Rutgers University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Toledo, Morehouse College, DePaul University, Penn State University, University of Pennsylvania, Ohio State University, The City College of New York, Northwestern University, Georgia State University, The University of Colorado Boulder, Roger Williams University, Princeton University, University of California Irvine, Drexel University, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Oregon, and Villanova University.

I work with my authors to meet their stated research, publishing, and career goals. In this vein, I consider what future publications may be generated from what they have written thus far and how their current projects fit in with their larger professional goals. I also bring to bear my knowledge of the industries of publishing and higher education. Basically, when I read and edit I pay attention to both the intellectual contributions and marketing opportunities.

Additionally, I have freelanced for several trade presses. My work with them includes serving as a liaison between authors and publishers, developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, and permissions.

Finally, I have worked with scholars on making their research and academic writing more accessible to a broad readership in terms of writing, presentation, and formatting. Most recently, I collaborated with The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2) on the major project Top Ten, which involved working closely with faculty authors on book chapters, facilitating writing workshops, and presenting to the board of SP2.

Editing and writing experience:

As you will note from my website, I have written academic and non-academic publications. Additionally, I have guest edited academic journals and edited and co-written community organization newsletters, magazines, and brochures, taught as a professor of writing intensive courses at universities, developed writing curriculum for university certification, and was employed as a tutor at the Temple University Writing Center. I have also been employed as an international business consultant for the Temple University Small Business Development Center, conducting research and writing extensive reports for U.S. small firms with international operations; these reports detailed foreign markets, relevant foreign government offices and policies, global banking, industry and business forecasts, and entry strategies. At the Fox School of Business at Temple University, I trained students in the International Business Practicum to conduct this type of business research and write reports for small firms with international operations.

As a well-published author, I have experience working with editors for a variety of publications (academic and non-academic), including proposing special issue journals and individual submissions, writing and submitting articles and chapters for consideration, and responding to editorial comments and reviews. I also serve as a reviewer for academic journals.